default function treats boolean false as not defined, and applies default

[Stono]

values.yaml:

someKey: false

in template:

{{ default true .Values.someKey }}

I would expect this to return false, as someKey is defined, and its value is false, however it returns true.

[bacongobbler]

You have the arguments flipped in the wrong direction. It should be {{ default .Values.somekey false }}. default takes its first argument as the value to check if it exists, then defaults to the second argument if it's not defined.

[Stono]

@bacongobbler apologies, i noticed this too but it's still incorrect the other way.... I also tried {{ $deployment.enabled | default true }} just for the hell of it

values.yaml

template:

You would expect that to be false however:

[bacongobbler]

Ah, I forgot that "empty value" is false when in reference to booleans, so I don't think you can use default in the way you want to.

https://github.com/Masterminds/sprig/blob/ecbec66c2936b6503e7c9e29123e343be03ac8eb/docs/defaults.md#default

It's probably better to use {{ if $deployment.enabled }}{{ $deployment.enabled }}{{ else }}true{{ end }} instead.

[Stono]

Ahh that clarifies, how annoying!
Thanks dude.

[tw0517tw]

Hi @bacongobbler ,

What if I'd like to use this in a block if in my template? Something like:

{{- if (default $foo true) }}
someSetting: "bar"
{{- end }}

and I want the someSetting to not render only when $foo is explicitly set to false.

[max-tet]

This is still open, istn't it?
The workaround provided by @bacongobbler does not seem to work.
There must be some way to distinguish null from false? How else can you set a default to true and make it overridable by a false value?

[atombender]

This is the workaround I use:

{{ if or (not (hasKey . "enabled")) (eq (coalesce .enabled false) true) }}
...
{{ end }}

Obviously, if the dictionary you're checking is something like $foo:

{{ if or (not (hasKey $foo "enabled")) (eq (coalesce $foo.enabled false) true) }}
...
{{ end }}

The reason I'm using coalesce is because eq .enabled true fails (error calling eq: invalid type for comparison) with null errors for some dastardly reason.

Obviously, the only works if enabled is either a boolean, or absent. If it's actually null, then the above won't work.

[marcinma]

Why this is closed? Issue still exists

[bacongobbler]

What issue are you seeing @marcinma? What's your recommendation for a fix?

[atombender]

You have the arguments flipped in the wrong direction. It should be {{ default .Values.somekey false }}

That's wrong. default takes the default value as its first argument, and the value to be tested as the second. I use this all the time. Yes, the order is weird, but the OP is right.

There's a bug here and this needs to reopened.

[atombender]

The issue has been reported in Sprig.

[marcinma]

What issue are you seeing @marcinma? What's your recommendation for a fix?

Lets start with obvious test:

$> cat values.yaml

bugExists: false

$> cat templates/bug.yaml

defaul result oposite: {{ default .Values.bugExists true }}
default result normal: {{ default  true .Values.bugExists }}
real value: {{ .Values.bugExists }}

$> helm template --output-dir=out .
wrote out/test/templates/bug.yaml

$> cat out/test/templates/bug.yaml
---
# Source: test/templates/bug.yaml
defaul result oposite: true
default result normal: true
real value: false

Although false is defined it is not used in any case.
At lest helm documentation should describe this behavior until fixed here:
https://github.com/helm/helm/blob/master/docs/chart_template_guide/functions_and_pipelines.md#using-the-default-function

Not sure how this can be fixed yet this bug shouldn't be closed.

[gabordk]

What if I'd like to use this in a block if in my template? Something like:

{{- if (default $foo true) }}
someSetting: "bar"
{{- end }}

and I want the someSetting to not render only when $foo is explicitly set to false.

@tw0517tw Did you found any solution to this?

[tw0517tw]

@gabordk No I didn't find any.

[andyliuliming]

sad to see this does not work:
{{ $ba := and (.Values.global.oneBool) (default true .Values.global.anotherbool) }}

[mentos1386]

@bacongobbler If this is working as intended (that you cannot use default with booleans). Can it be added to documentation, as a warning? Or reopen the issue if it isn't working as intended.

[cjmaloof]

Similarly, an integer value of 0 is always replaced by the default.

[cosimps]

Hi @bacongobbler ,

What if I'd like to use this in a block if in my template? Something like:

{{- if (default $foo true) }}
someSetting: "bar"
{{- end }}

and I want the someSetting to not render only when $foo is explicitly set to false.

@gabordk and anyone else that my encounter this issue, this is my workaround that I am using is a few templates:

{{- if or (.Values.enabled) (eq (.Values.enabled | toString) "<nil>") }}
someSetting: bar
{{- end }}

in action:

$> cat chart/values.yaml

enabled: true

$> helm template chart/

---
someSetting: bar
otherSetting: foo

$> cat chart/values.yaml

$> helm template chart/

---
someSetting: bar
otherSetting: foo

$> cat chart/values.yaml

enabled: false

$> helm template chart/

---
otherSetting: foo

[prashant-shahi]

I had same issue with "false" and "true" i.e. Boolean as string being set in the pod ENVs.
default assumed the string to be boolean.

I solved it by using and explicit quote on top of .Values.insecure being a string "false" itself..

{{- define "app.isInsecure" -}}
{{- default "true" (.Values.insecure | quote) }}
{{- end }}

[whatthefrog]

kcasas
simplest workaround I've come up is this

list nil true | has .Values.vaultEnabled

In some cases it may be useful to also add the "true" string to the checked list

list nil true "true" | has .Values.vaultEnabled

[joejulian]

Hi @bacongobbler ,

What if I'd like to use this in a block if in my template? Something like:

{{- if (default $foo true) }}
someSetting: "bar"
{{- end }}

and I want the someSetting to not render only when $foo is explicitly set to false.

I do:

{{- if (dig "somekey" true .Values) }}
someSetting: bar
{{- end }}

Which looks in .Values for the key, "somekey". If it's there, it uses that value. If it's not, it uses (in the above example) true as the default.

[jbilliau-rcd]

Hi @bacongobbler ,
What if I'd like to use this in a block if in my template? Something like:

{{- if (default $foo true) }}
someSetting: "bar"
{{- end }}

and I want the someSetting to not render only when $foo is explicitly set to false.

@gabordk and anyone else that my encounter this issue, this is my workaround that I am using is a few templates:

{{- if or (.Values.enabled) (eq (.Values.enabled | toString) "<nil>") }}
someSetting: bar
{{- end }}

in action:

$> cat chart/values.yaml

enabled: true

$> helm template chart/

---
someSetting: bar
otherSetting: foo

$> cat chart/values.yaml

$> helm template chart/

---
someSetting: bar
otherSetting: foo

$> cat chart/values.yaml

enabled: false

$> helm template chart/

---
otherSetting: foo

For anyone stumbling here from doing a google search on this issue, it is indeed still an issue but the real hero is @cosimps whose workaround works beautifully. Much appreciated!

[dicky-yuen]

{{if ((.Values.health).enabled)}}

This works well for me, in case anyone still cares about this.

It works. But can you explain why the bracket can work it?

[Mo0rBy]

How is this not re-opened or fixed? This is a really helpful thread with some workarounds, but we shouldn't need it. This functionality with default and Booleans seems really simple and should work straight away

[Mo0rBy]

I'm going to put this solution to my problem here in case it helps anyone:

I wanted to render part of a template (a deployment label) by default unless the values.yaml explicitly stated that a value was false:

      labels:
        {{- if ne false ((.Values.security).label).enabled }}
        myLabel: "this-section-is-rendered-unless-the-value-is-explicitly-false"
        {{- end }}

Here is the explanation of using the parenthesis on my evaluated value > https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59795596/how-to-make-nested-variables-optional-in-helm/68807258#68807258

And I am simply use a "not equals" which fits the logic very nicely. The users of my chart will have to explicitly state the specific value as false in order to not include this label in the deployment.

[vincentor]

five years later and i fall into the same hole now, this issue should be fixed

[Cajga]

IMO the solution from @joejulian that is using the "dig" function is the most elegant, readable and simple solution.

Update: it is indeed mentioned in the documentation

[glebsts]

Almost six years and it is still an issue. I want to explicitly change default-true in subchart in my values, and I cannot use false.

[tgolly]

What I'm trying to do is: if my enabled boolean is not defined, have it default to true (which I realise is unusual but I have a use case for it).

So:

• enabled == true -> true
• enabled == false -> false
• enabled "not defined" -> true

It thought either of these would work:

{{- if .enabled | default true }}
{{- if default true .enabled }}

...but they don't.

After a lot of trial and error, this is the simplest workaround I could find:

{{- if ne (toString .enabled) "false" }}

This works because "toString" on an undefined boolean returns <nil>.

But still, having an undefined boolean always return false instead of not defined means you cannot use the "default" function to set the default for a boolean. It can only ever default to false.

Please re-open this issue, until the "default" function can be used with boolean values without these workarounds.

[cesium147]

I not found simple way to resolve case with set False when default value is True.
But share my working version with next conditions:

• flag has value > value
• flag == true > true
• flag == false > false
• flag is empty > true
• flag is absent > true

template.yaml

---
flag1: {{ .Values.flag1 | default (eq (toString .Values.flag1) "<nil>" | ternary true false) }}
flag2: {{ .Values.flag2 | default (eq (toString .Values.flag2) "<nil>" | ternary true false) }}
flag3: {{ .Values.flag3 | default (eq (toString .Values.flag3) "<nil>" | ternary true false) }}
flag4: {{ .Values.flag4 | default (eq (toString .Values.flag4) "<nil>" | ternary true false) }}
flag5: {{ .Values.flag5 | default (eq (toString .Values.flag5) "<nil>" | ternary true false) }}

values.yaml

---
flag1: test
flag2: true
flag3: false
flag4: 
# flag5:

output

---
flag1: test
flag2: true
flag3: false
flag4: true
flag5: true

[michelefa1988]

What I'm trying to do is: if my enabled boolean is not defined, have it default to true (which I realise is unusual but I have a use case for it).

So:

• enabled == true -> true
• enabled == false -> false
• enabled "not defined" -> true

It thought either of these would work:

{{- if .enabled | default true }}
{{- if default true .enabled }}

...but they don't.

After a lot of trial and error, this is the simplest workaround I could find:

{{- if ne (toString .enabled) "false" }}

This works because "toString" on an undefined boolean returns <nil>.

But still, having an undefined boolean always return false instead of not defined means you cannot use the "default" function to set the default for a boolean. It can only ever default to false.

Please re-open this issue, until the "default" function can be used with boolean values without these workarounds.

@tgolly I have exactly your used case and I have not been able to workaround it. Did you manage to find a workaround at the end?

[tgolly]

@tgolly I have exactly your used case and I have not been able to workaround it. Did you manage to find a workaround at the end?

@michelefa1988 No. 😢

This issue really needs to be re-opened.

[detro]

The issue has to be reopened. The root of the issue boils down to the coalescing of absence of boolean to false.

Given that making a change to the default function would break an entire ecosystem (and have probably a swarm of ppl descend on Helm with pitchforks), my advice is to go for an additional function. A default_boolean that offers a way to control the coalescence better.

And for ppl that go around down-voting comments: please grow up.

[pawamoy]

I suspect some comments are downvoted because they either don't bring anything to the discussion, or are not respectful. I've just unsubscribed 🙂 Good luck everybody!

[tgolly]

I think you are right @pawamoy .

[FahadBSyed]

We just hit this too, kind of silly that this hasn't been fixed yet